Bonhams announces the promotion of Diego Lanza to Head of Whisky, Asia. Based in Hong Kong, Diego will lead all Bonhams whisky business in the region and expand the company’s presence in this competitive market. He will also work closely with the wider global team on all sales and projects.

Diego joined Bonhams in London as Senior Whisky Specialist in 2021, a role in which he established his international expertise and leadership in Europe and Asia. He has been instrumental in the success of a number of significant sales from Bonhams’ global salerooms, including the sale of: a Black Bowmore Aston Martin DB5-31 year old-1964 in London; a Laphroaig-15 year old-1967-Samaroli in Paris; and most recently: the Yamazaki Junshin in Hong Kong.

Prior to Bonhams, Diego worked for the internationally-leading online whiskies and spirit retailer – The Whisky Exchange, where he was responsible for curating the company’s private collection, spearheading its private client advisory and advising global spirit auctions.

The first international auction house to sell whisky in Asia in 2008, Bonhams is a worldwide market leader with multiple records set over the past 15 years, including two that are still standing, namely the record for a bottle of Japanese whisky and for a whisky series (further details below). Currently, Bonhams hold auction for whisky in four major selling locations: Hong Kong, London, Paris, and Edinburgh, Scotland – the native land of whisky where Bonhams is the only international auction house to hold stand-alone sales.

Bonhams Managing Director Asia Julia Hu said: “I am delighted to welcome Diego in his new capacity as Head of Whisky, Asia. Whisky has always been a star category at Bonhams Asia since we pioneered it in 2008. With Diego’s international experience, we hope to strengthen our leading position in the years to come.”

Highlights from the 18 May sale of Fine and Rare Wine & Whisky in Hong Kong will be announced shortly.

Standing world auction records of whisky set by Bonhams:

Yamazaki-55 Year

Sold for HK$6,200,000 at Bonhams Hong Kong

Setting a new world auction record for a bottle of Japanese whisky

August 2020

Hanyu Ichiro’s ‘Full Card Series’ Whisky from Club Qing

Sold for a combined total of HK$11,890,360 at Bonhams Hong Kong

Setting a new world auction record for a whisky series

November 2020

NOTES

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world’s largest and most renowned auctioneers, offering fine art and collectables, collectors’ cars and a luxury division, which includes jewellery, designer fashion, watches, wine, and whisky. In 2021 and 2022, Bonhams made a number of important acquisitions which form the wider Bonhams network. These include: Bukowskis, Bruun Rasmussen, Bonhams Skinner, Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr and The Market by Bonhams.

There are 14 salerooms around the globe: UK: New Bond Street, London; Knightsbridge, London; Edinburgh. US: New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Marlborough. Hong Kong: Admiralty. France: Avenue Hoche, Paris; Rue de la Paix, Paris. Belgium: Brussels; Denmark: Copenhagen. Sweden: Stockholm and Australia: Sydney.

With a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 22 countries, Bonhams offers advice and valuation services in 60+ specialist areas.

In 2022, Bonhams held a number of important auctions and offered landmark single-owner collections, including the white glove sales of Sir Michael Caine: The Personal Collection, Sir Terence Conran: The Contents of Barton Court, Personal Property of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and The Robert & Jean-Pierre Rousset Collection of Asian Art: A Century of Collecting. Other notable single-owner sales included Style and Substance: The Collection of George and Charlotte Shultz and The Claude de Marteau Collection.

Top lots for 2022 included a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder (Sold for US$4,185,000), a pair of blue and white octagonal candlesticks (Sold for HK$30,453,00/ US$3,911,913), La femme en rouge au fond bleu by Chaïm Soutine (Sold for £1,842,300/ US$2,236,940), and a rare emerald and diamond Cartier bracelet (Sold for US$3,240,375).

More information and highlights can be found HERE

For a full list of forthcoming auctions, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, please visit bonhams.com

The Bonhams Network

Bukowskis

Established in 1870, Bukowskis offers fine art and collectables from its saleroom in Stockholm as well as online. In 2021, it sold 11 of the 15 most valuable artworks in the Swedish market – achieving the highest price for a Swedish artwork ever sold at auction – while their innovative digital presence attracts more than one million users every month.

Bruun Rasmussen

From its Copenhagen saleroom and online, Bruun Rasmussen sells more than 75,000 lots each year across categories from furniture, paintings and modern design to silver, wine and collector’s items such as books, arms and armour, stamps and coins.

Bonhams Skinner

Renowned New England auction house Bonhams Skinner holds some 80 auctions a year in 20 collecting categories – including Americana, fine art, collectables and wine, and ranging from fine violins to contemporary paintings – at its salerooms in Boston and Marlborough, Massachusetts, as well as on its highly effective digital platform for online sales.

Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr

Established in 1973, Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr is famous throughout the auction world for its high-profile single-owner sales. With salerooms in Paris and Brussels, it holds auctions in more than a dozen categories, including fine art, haute couture, Asian art, collectable cars, jewellery, watches and more.

The Market by Bonhams

The Market by Bonhams is the record-setting and fastest-growing online marketplace for classic and collectable cars auctions in the UK, Europe and the United States. Combining traditional auction practices with an innovative, exciting digital platform, they offer a five-star service, no buyer’s fees and the lowest seller’s commission in the industry.